And the Belated Childhood Illness
by Azure Lynx
Summary: Ezekiel gets sick and tries to hide it so as not to worry his boyfriend. Needless to say, this doesn't go too well. EzekielXJake


He was lucky the library was so cold this time of year. That way, his three layers would not arouse any suspicions and a scarf would be normal.

Ezekiel Jones was fashion forward, after all. Layering some shirts and sweaters and pairing them with a fancy scarf was absolutely in style.

What he hadn't anticipated was just how hot three layers would be, though the library was supposedly freezing, according to Jake's beleaguered groans. Silly Southerner, couldn't deal with winter weather.

Ezekiel wiped his forehead. He was sweating, and burning up. Perhaps he should take off a sweater? But no, the layers made it harder to scratch at the angry red spots sprawled across his skin, like a five-year-old had gone crazy with a marker after learning about pointillism for the first time.

It was chickenpox. He'd done some research upon feeling the itch, and discovered that since he'd never contracted it as a kid, he was still susceptible, so when he'd rescued that itchy kid from the tree she was stuck in, he'd caught her virus. Damn mother, didn't vaccinate her kids, Jake had grumbled, pulling Ezekiel away quickly.

Ezekiel hadn't been vaccinated either, as he found out. He should've expected that, though - his mother had refused every vaccine possible when he was little. This never bothered Ezekiel, historically terrified of needles. At least, not until it came back to bite him.

Cassandra was out visiting family and God knows where Flynn and Eve had run off to, which meant that it was up to Ezekiel and Jake to hold down the fort. Ezekiel felt awful, but he knew he had a duty, so he'd push through.

Jake, however, would have different feelings on the matter. "Stay home, take care of yourself," blah, blah, blah. Ezekiel Jones did not take sick days, and he didn't let any sort of virus beat him. Certainly not this kiddie sickness.

So Ezekiel covered up. Luckily, no sneezing, though he'd been doing a little coughing. The jury was still out on whether that had anything to do with his chickenpox, though. He headed out of the room the library had graciously provided him to sleep in overnight while his roommate had a girl stay over. He had _not_ wanted to be home for that.

Jake was somewhere in the library. He'd already given Ezekiel the obligatory greeting while Ezekiel sweat nervously in his pajamas, which had an added hoodie because he'd been freezing all morning. But he'd quickly wandered off and Ezekiel's secret was safe.

Maybe he could bake while he waited for Jake to turn up again. Making his boyfriend a cake was the kind of cutesy romantic stuff that Jake was all over, right? Typical Cowboy, tough on the outside but sentimental and fluffy on the inside.

He wandered about to find the kitchen, taking at least one wrong turn. Finally, he located the correct door and pushed it open to find the room practically beckoning him. Half the ingredients were already laid out, and a fresh bar of baker's chocolate stared up at him. Perfect. Jake's favorite.

Ezekiel preheated the oven and shivered. He was colder now, thankful for his layers. Hopefully they'd do something for him. He absently scratched at his ribs, then remembered he was Absolutely Healthy and was not supposed to do that. Better be more conscious of his actions.

He mixed the dry ingredients together, tugging at his scarf. How was he so hot again, all of a sudden? He was freezing less than a second ago. This sickness was unbelievable. He ripped off his scarf, tossing it over to the table. This left his neck exposed, but he barely cared as his sweater came off soon after.

That was a bit better, he determined, mixing the wet ingredients. He had the recipe memorized, so it barely bothered him when his mind wandered far and wide while he combined the batter. How upset Jake had been about the sick kid. The daggers he'd shot the mother. How he pulled Ezekiel quickly away, as though he knew.

Ezekiel took off another shirt. Now in just a tank top, he figured his temperature would even out, but as he slid the cake in the oven, the hot air hit him like a wall and he cried out, basically dropping his creation, slamming the door shut, and pounding on the keys of the timer. Off came the tank top as he sat down heavily on a stool and waited.

He heard thumping in the hall, not realizing he'd spaced out. He stood up to greet his boytoy, swaying slightly, but thought nothing of it. He grinned.

"Hey, Cowboy!" he called, the sound of the door creaking mingling with the sound of the timer beeping. "I made you something."

Jake sniffed with his eyes closed. "That smells delicious." He opened his eyes, catching sight of Ezekiel's' bare torso, and he gasped in horror. "What's wrong?"

Ezekiel frowned. "Usually you get excited when I greet you shirtless and baking." He leaned over to get the cake out of the oven, pulling on a pair of oversized, bright orange oven mitts. He grabbed the cake but suddenly the world was spinning and he was crashing down. The cake went flying and Ezekiel felt everything fading into blackness.

Well. This was certainly not how to convince your boyfriend you were ok.

***...***

Ezekiel came to with a cold washcloth on his forehead, lying on a very plush couch. He shifted and realized cold washcloths were in fact all over his body. Jake was into some strange things, that was for sure.

"You're awake." Jake's face was a mixture of concern and anger. "Ezekiel Jones, you have some explaining to do."

"Ummmmm…" Ezekiel gulped. He had wanted to _avoid_ this exact moment.

"You haven't been vaccinated." This wasn't a question, but a sharp accusation.

Ezekiel shook his head. "No. I have not. I thought that was kind of obvious," he snarked, trying to cover embarrassment.

Jake sighed, exasperated. "Same old Jones. Smartass to your dying breath. How many other vaccines are you missing?"

"It would probably be easier to name the ones I _have_ had." Ezekiel moved to scratch, but Jake caught his arm. "Am I wearing pants?"

"No. You have pox down there, too." He sighed again. "Jones, do you know why we get vaccines?"

"To prevent illnesses. I'm not stupid, mate." Ezekiel frowned.

"Then why don't you have any?"

"My mum was against vaccines. Went on and on about autism, and chemicals, and god knows whatever other evils came with vaccines. Granted, I would've been autistic by the time that damn study came out if I was going to be, but that never dissuaded her." He shrugged. "And then I thought I was too old. Besides, needles suck, Cowboy."

"We're taking you to get vaccinated as soon as you're healthy." The tone of Jake's voice meant it wasn't a request. "My baby sister died of preventable disease. She died of _chickenpox_ , Jones. She was too young for vaccines and at her age, it was a fatal strain."

Ezekiel felt...guilt. Empathy. But mostly guilt. He shrunk in on himself, hissing in pain as his pox scraped against the fancy edging of the couch. "I'm sorry, Cowboy."

Jake picked him up like a newlywed. "You're taking a baking soda bath, then you're off to bed. I cleaned up your cake, and I'll make you some soup. But you're getting lots of rest."

Ezekiel smiled. "My hero," he teased.

"And then as soon as you're ready, it's off to the needle factory."

Ezekiel cringed. Well. Jake knows best.

 **A/N: Here is my first ever request fic! I had fun writing it, so thank you to the anon who asked.**


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